KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The Ministry of Plantations and Commodities and the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) are intensifying efforts to enable more palm oil smallholders to comply with the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification (MSPO) scheme.

MPOB director general Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the implementation of the MSPO since 2015 throughout the Malaysian oil palm industry chain has indirectly proved that the oil palm industry is able to grow rapidly without having to sacrifice forests which are a unique biodiversity habitat in our country.

He also said that this industry has contributed largely to the preservation and conservation of flora and fauna in the country.

"If all MSPO principles and good agricultural practices are followed by oil palm growers in this country, then there is no reason and strong evidence to link Malaysian oil palm plantations to damaging the environment,” Ahmad Parveez said in his keynote speech at the MSPO smallholder empowering programme in Pelangai, Bentong, Pahang, today.

He explained that, previously, the European Union and other vegetable oil-producing countries seemed to challenge the palm oil-producing countries in terms of environmental sustainability.

"The international community is now increasingly aware that palm oil production in Malaysia is carried out sustainably by creating a symbiotic relationship between environmental conservation and economic prosperity,” Ahmad Parveez added.

He noted that the government is aware of the costs that smallholders have to bear to finance the implementation of the MSPO certification.

Therefore, in 2019, an incentive of RM30 million was provided by the government through MPOB to reduce the financial burden that smallholders have to bear to support MSPO certification among smallholders.

For smallholders, the incentives provided include the cost of MSPO certification fees, MSPO-related training, provision of chemical storage shelves, and personal protective equipment.

In addition to the smallholder group, the farm and factory sectors are also given emphasis through the provision of incentives involving the cost of MSPO certification.

"The development of the oil palm industry will definitely benefit the small oil palm farmers in Malaysia, especially in Bentong,” said Ahmad Parveez.

In a statement, MPOB said all nine sustainable palm oil clusters (SPOC) in Pahang had obtained MSPO certification involving a total of 11,868 smallholders with an area of 36,336.75 hectares (ha).

There are 12,561 smallholders who cultivate oil palm plantations with an area of 41,383.00ha in Pahang as at September 30, 2023, making the average owned oil palm plantation area for each smallholder in Pahang to be 3.3ha.

The statement also said that the implementation of MSPO for private smallholders under the supervision of MPOB has certified 162 SPOCs involving 196,607 smallholders with an area of 736,822ha across the country as at this September. — Bernama